Episode 66: Bigfoot: The Case for the Missing Link

Is there any more well known cryptid in modern lore than Bigfoot? The elusive forest dweller must have one incredible agent. Featured on multiple television programs, Internet channels, and countless books; Bigfoots are an odd kind of celebrity. For starters, the paparazzi cannot keep up with them, despite the best efforts of enthusiast the world over we have yet to find definitive proof of the existence of these mysterious bipedal behemoths. Also they keep getting booked on network TV and failing to show up for their cameo appearances. Their reluctance to engage with their adoring public makes Woody Allen’s refusal to attend the Oscars seem downright congenial. Join us this week as we explore the history of Bigfoot, from famous sightings, to contested evidence; from mythical origins, to scientific conjecture. We’ll also be taking a look at the cultural significance of the idea of the “missing link.” We’ll be discussing Darwin’s Theory of Evolution, along with the man who aimed to ‘prove it’ once and for all, Charles Dawson. His infamous Piltdown Man created mysteries and legends that remain to this day. We’ll conclude by taking an in-depth look at the Scope’s Monkey Trial. The first, but certainly not the last, legal battle over evolution’s place in the American classroom, in which rhetorical titans Clarence Darrow and William Jennings Bryan started an argument we still can’t seem to settle.